This is a blog about a girl who could not read for a very long time. She has waited 14 long years to be able to read and wants to share her love of books with anyone who loves to get lost in a world of their own imagination.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Guest Blog - by author Alice Janell

The lovely woman you see above is author Alice Janell. I am very very pleased to have Alice Janell, author of Untouchable (Everwinter Series, #1) here today. I won her book on booklikes.com and talked to her a few times, and we thought it would be a great idea if Alice came on to guest blog and talk about her new book. This is a very good piece she wrote. You are going to love it. But first let me tell you about Alice. Alice Janell is a multi-genre author who writes Fantasy, Romance and Young Adult. She’s a Whovian Browncoat who enjoys reading, knitting, gaming and all things geek. Addicted to Dr Pepper, Milky Way Midnight Minis and Twitter. Alice currently lives in Okinawa, Japan with a bagpipe-playing, kilt-wearing Marine, a daredevil toddler, a dog named Sushi and a cat named Soba. So now that you know Alice a little better, let's see what she has to say today.

Hi! Thanks for hosting me today, I’m excited to be here.

M: I am excited to have you here.

So, confession time.

I love fairytales.

Like really love them. I love Disney movies – omg have you seen Frozen? Such a cute spin on the Winter Queen fairytale! – and I’m obsessed with the show Once Upon a Time. I can’t get enough of all the different ways they twist classic fairytales.

But my novel, UNTOUCHABLE, is more than just a fantasy re-telling of holiday ballet, The Nutcracker. It also plays on other myths and fairytales.

Myths like Old Man Winter, aka, Jack Frost.

In fact, the main character in UNTOUCHABLE is his daughter. And while Aneira Frost is not exactly the embodiment of winter that her father is, she takes after him in other ways.

She’s mysterious and cunning, and knows how to keep cool when she finds herself employed by the dangerous Rattagan.

Rattagan is another myth brought to life. He’s a Krampus and the role of the Rat Prince from the Nutcracker.

M: I actually know who Krampus is!

For those unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is the Krampus, he’s a monster – also known as the Christmas Devil – that stays hidden in the shadow of St. Nikolas and it’s his job to punish the naughty children.

(Krampus)

In some versions of the story, he swats naughty children with switches and rusty chains before dragging them to hell…

But what’s a Christmas devil without his Santa Claus counterpart?

Enter my cursed-nutcracker-turned-handsome prince, Nikolas Claus. If you can’t tell by his name, he’s very loosely inspired by the myth of St. Nikolas.

At one point in the story, Niko admits that the children call him St. Nick and that his province in Everwinter is known as Almaen (which is really just a cool/fun/different spelling for Germany).

But the mythologies in UNTOUCHABLE aren’t just based on holiday lore.

When Ani and Niko meet Suqi, the matriarch of the Thulians, I was given a chance to play around with more fairytales.

Because the Thulians were inspired heavily by Inuit culture, I researched Inuit fairytales, such as The Raven and The Sun.

It’s a fairytale about the trickster raven who stole the sun from the night and brought light to world.

What was intended to be a small role in UNTOUCHABLE ended up being something so much more. I have bigger plans for the Raven and the Sun – but you’ll have to wait for the sequel, UNBREAKABLE, to find out what those plans are. ;)

There are so many other fairytales being incorporated here and there, but if I touched on all of them, I'd be here all day. Besides, some of them won't be made clear until other books in the series. But very briefly, here are some other myths and fairytales to look out for in the Everwinter Series:

The Erlking
Sleeping Beauty
The Snow Queen
The Spirits of the Seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall)
And perhaps even more I haven't discovered yet!
UNTOUCHABLE is the first book in the Everwinter series and is only 99 cents (ebook version only) on Amazon* from Feb 1 through Feb 7.

Thank you so much for being here today. I adore fairy tales and am very excited about the whole series. I love that you know fairy tales so well and are able to rework them into something new and fresh. We will be anxiously awaiting for your next book to come out. I hope you can stop by again.

About Me

I am a good person who believes in the good in others. I am a fiercely loyal friend. I am an RN and not working right now.I plan on going back, which may not be an option due to my disabilities, but I have other options I am exploring. I love books! I, growing up, always had a book in my hand. I love getting lost in a world of books, a world that is not my same day to day world. I love comic books.I went to my first ComicCon this year and am already ready for next year! I adore movies.I will watch almost any movie but prefer horror, dark comedies, IFC type movies, and classics like The Postman Always Rings Twice. I love TCM! I am a big kid! I love Nickelodeon. I love all types of music. I tend to lean towards heavy metal, classic rock, old rap, some top 40. I love the winter and snow,so I am thrilled that it is Novemeber. There is nothing at all that compares to a walk in the snow. I have a wonderful husband of 13 years who is a one in a million find. He knows me better than I know myself. I have a mini-poodle rescue named Nino. I call him my companion because he follows me everywhere and is very in tune to me, very protective of me especially concerning my disabilities. He has his own blog! I have a lot of disabilities but people are surprised to find this out because I am always laughing and smiling and in a good mood. Why cry? It changes nothing and gives you a headache! I would love to do a lot more traveling. I am a homebody but going to PA and WY were very memorable for me. I love bakery deserts like Canolis. A chocoholic - Godiva all the way!! My favorite is anything mint chocolate. I also love and collect stickers! I have been reading a lot lately and I love it. I have a blog you can find here http://www.bloglovin.com/mismatchedbookends.

Come follow me! Meeting new people is the thing I love the most in life. Everyone has something to teach us. And every person you meet helps you grow in some way. The experience may not always be positive, but you may learn an important lesson.